News Roundup 02 March 2021
Mar 02, 2021 • 3 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines top 580,000 with 2,067 new infections | PHILSTAR.COM – For the sixth consecutive day, the Department of Health reported more than 2,000 additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing to 580,442 the total number of infections in the country. The DOH logged 2,067 new COVID-19 cases, latest data showed. Of the total, 33,610 or 5.8% are active cases or those who are still undergoing treatment and quarantine. The number of recoveries increased to 534,463 after 144 more people recuperated from the respiratory illness. Meanwhile, the department recorded 47 new fatalities related to COVID-19, taking the death toll to 12,369.
Duterte reminded: COVID-19 is the problem, not Robredo | PHILSTAR.COM – The president of the minority Liberal Party on Tuesday said it would be better for President Rodrigo Duterte to focus on the pandemic instead of using televised meetings for profanity-laced rants against Vice President Leni Robredo and other people critical of government response to COVID-19. Sen. Francis Pangilinan defended the vice president after Duterte cursed at her and said that she should die for making comments about, among other things, the use of Sinovac vaccines from China despite doubts from the public and from medical groups. “COVID-19 is the problem, not VP Robredo,” Pangilinan said in a statement in Filipino. “From the start, she has been tirelessly helping and finding a solution to this coronavirus problem.” Robredo, a member of the LP, is not a member of the Duterte Cabinet and is not inlcuded in meetings of the government task force on the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the coronavirus pandemic, President Duterte’s live-streamed addresses — meant to provide updates on the administration’s pandemic response — have included lengthy asides where the chief executive lashes out against critics. Aside from Robredo, the president has also made comments about Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Panfilo Lacson of the Senate majority bloc, and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
Solon wants review of PNP, PDEA operational procedure to avoid misencounter | INQUIRER.NET – Flaws in the operational procedures conducted by the police and anti-drug agents must be identified to prevent a repeat of what appeared to be a “misencounter” on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City last week, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon said Tuesday as he called for a thorough review of the operations manual of both the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). “While many are looking forward to seeing heads roll after the PNP-PDEA Fatal Fiasco at Ever, what I’d like to see are the flaws of their operational procedures followed by necessary changes to prevent a repeat and enable them to capture those in the drug trade,” he said in a statement. The ops manuals should be scrutinized line by line if need be, for us to identify flaws in the procedures and the lapses committed if any,” Biazon added.
P20-B slashed by Velasco from pension fund went to ‘pork’, not COVID-19 vaccines — Defensor | Manila Bulletin – Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Michael T. Defensor on Tuesday disclosed that not a single centavo from the P20 billion taken away from the budget for the pension fund of retired personnel of uniformed went to the procurement of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines. Instead, Defensor said portions of the slashed funding went to pork barrel funds, apparently for lawmakers. Defensor aired these claims as he accused ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Eric Go Yap, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, of lying before their Lower House colleagues for claiming that the P20 billion slashed from the military and police retirees’ pension fund went to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fund. Defensor said Yap’s claim is simply “not true” The former made this claim a day after the two solons debated on the floor in connection with Defensor’s allegations about the slashed funding. “The claim of appropriations committee chairman Rep. Eric Yap that P20 billion in military and police retirees’ pension money was diverted to Covid-19 vaccine procurement is not true,” said Defensor. In a privilege speech on Monday, Defensor, former chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, accused Speaker Lord Allan Velasco of denying retired personnel of uniformed services at least P20 billion from their pension fund to boost congressional allocations for infrastructure projects.
